Brazilian filmmaker Anna Muylaert's The Second Mother is a beautifully crafted drama about the interaction between wealthy urban Latin American families and their maids, most of whom come from impoverished rural environments.

| Oct 12, 2021

Muylaert's expert, nuanced exploration of inter-familial relationships, particularly those between women, is a joy to behold, played beautifully by the exceptional cast.

| Sep 29, 2021

Muylaert makes it very moving with his observation on mother-to-child relationships. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 21, 2020

Director Anna Muylaert, who has worked as a film critic and reporter, drafted a thoughtful script and put care into directing the actors, with a big payoff.

| Mar 9, 2020

A truthful depiction of what it means to be both parent and employee, The Second Mother leaves you pondering its characters long after you've flown the nest.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 4, 2019

The Second Mother doesn't look to solve the socioeconomic gap, but rather paints a very vivid picture of the senselessness behind it all. It's an intriguing and well-executed story from the perspective of the underprivileged characters.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 11, 2019

This brilliant, beautifully observed comedy is a joy to watch throughout. The Second Mother's narrative works on so many levels, reflected in the film's ambiguous title, and the characterization is flawless.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 6, 2019

The ending kind of ruined this film for me, but I still recommend watching. Regina Casé shines as Val and the rest of the cast is similarly superb.

| Oct 24, 2018

From the formal aspect, with precise camera shots... the film is a brilliant reflection on class conflicts and power relations in the context of private life. [Full review in Spanish]

| Aug 1, 2018

Themes of classism and motherhood run deep as lines are crossed and characters maneuver their way through uncomfortable domestic situations.

| Original Score: A- | Jan 26, 2018

The movie examines what it means to be a mother - is it a matter of proximity or of love? And what are we to do when those two pieces are at odds?

| Original Score: 8.5/10 | Dec 3, 2017

A captious exploration of caste and class tensions in contemporary Brazil through the story of a maid. [Full review in Spanish]

| Sep 28, 2017

The Second Mother is an important film on many fronts including as a social reflection of the Brazilian class system, as a powerful and engaging work of art, and its place in contemporary cinema made by women.

| Jun 20, 2017

This wry and warm Brazilian take on the upstairs-downstairs divide (in Portuguese, with subtitles) centres on the meaning of motherhood, formed by love but also shaped by economic and social pressures.

| Original Score: 4/5 | May 9, 2017

In Anna Muylaert's domestic drama ... the outcome is small but significant, a well-earned and thought-out riposte via a strong ensemble cast that gives contradictory meaning to the idea of knowing your place.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 3, 2016

What I find noteworthy about this film is that you don't fully realise its power until the ending. It subtly unfolds

| Jul 23, 2016

This is a film in which the minutia matters as we become engrossed in the divergent worlds of the domestic and her employers

| Jul 23, 2016

Full of irony and drama, this Brazilian film is a subtle approach to social art. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 8, 2016

...less fascinated by the power play and ritual than it is by the people who are inhabiting those roles, and hoping, ever so softly, to transcend them.

| Apr 15, 2016

Case's performance as Val is a joy.

| Mar 7, 2016